Owning a piece of the same homestead that my ancestors settled makes me a steward of this earth. Like my parents and grandparents, there are days when I am sweaty and exhausted from good honest work in the soil; there are days when I sit in my cushioned chair on the deck admiring the clouds. I am fortunate to have ”one foot in the city” and “one foot on the farm.”

One Foot

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Farm House is Lost to Fire

On August 4, 2012, a Saturday evening, my beloved
farmhouse caught fire and burned.I am
still in shock and grieving as though it had been a family member.There is almost nothing to salvage, as the
wind was high and the fire made quick work of the old lumber.I am digging through it this week and after
the inspections are finished, I will need to have it demolished.

People have been loving, kind, and helpful and many
others have suffered such a loss – some more serious than this in storms that
have taken lives.All the stories shared
with me include the same inexpressible sadness and feeling of loss.It is just heart wrenching to lose your home
to any cause.

As you might expect, I’m trying to analyze the loss,
but I guess I have matured, as I’m sure not questioning why God would allow
this to happen or thinking it was all part of the great cosmic plan.Maybe the Mars landing by Curiosity this
morning would fall in that arena, but not this.It was just one of those accidents that occur in life that hurts like
hell and changes a person forever.

I don’t know if I will rebuild, but I will keep the
farm.All the memories are still there,
with or without a house.If I should
rebuild, the new house will still be loved just as much as this one was. The
sun will continue to rise over the pasture, the garden will still be eaten by
grasshoppers in bad years, and I’ll complain about the deer thrashing my
trees.New memories will be made and
hopefully, my sons will continue to say they own a Kansas farm that has been in
the family for five generations.

Like all changes in life, some are difficult.But they will take place whether we like it
or not, so I am determined to get through this and adapt to the necessary
changes.I will treasure my memories,
continue to farm, and yes, although I live in the city, I will always have one
foot on the farm.